Spoils

Dodongos (ドドンゴ,Dodongo?) are recurring enemies in the Legend of Zelda series. Sometimes appearing as a enemy, the general appearance of Dodongos is that of a large dinosaur-like creature, with two or four legs. They are extremely vulnerable to bombs on the inside, and often times can be tricked into swallowing one while they inhale to breathe fire.

The exact intelligence of Dodongos is relatively unknown. While most encountered by Link seem little more than wild beasts, the presence of Dimitri, a talking red Dodongo, seems to counter this. Whether or not all Dodongos are capable of talking, or whether Dimitri's amphibious subspecies is an exception, is unknown.

Dodongos are described by the Gorons as extinct creatures which Ganondorf brought back using magic. They inhabit Dodongo's Cavern on Death Mountain, where they are ruled by the giant King Dodongo. Dodongos have two legs rather than the four legs seen in The Legend of Zelda. However, since Baby Dodongos lack legs and King Dodongo has four legs, it seems that Dodongos grow more limbs as they develop. Interestingly, Baby Dodongos have an extremely fatal habit of eating any nearby bomb they come across (to the point they will actually ignore Link to hunt down any nearby bomb or Bombchu), despite the fact that eating a bomb is fatal to them, though this may be attributed to them being infants.

Like Dodongos in other games, they can be tricked into swallowing bombs as they are inhaling to prepare to breath fire at him, though Dodongos allow Link very little time to do this. It is simply easier to attack its tail with a sword, but it only takes one bomb to kill a Dodongo. Though it is hard to get one to eat a Bomb, it is really easy to get one to eat a Bombchu, which is due simply by targeting it while using the Bombchu, which will cause the Bombchu to go straight into the Dodongos mouth and explode, killing it. This incarnation will explode upon defeat, which can be exploited to open certain areas before the Bomb Bag is obtained. Their tail counterattack, featured in Majora's Mask, appears in the 3DSremake.

The Bomb Bag in this game is made of a Dodongo's stomach, and the Goron Tunic is made from Dodongo hide.

Navi's Note

Dodongos are found north of Clock Town. They are larger than the ones that appear in Ocarina of Time and therefore take many more sword strikes to kill. Additionally, they can perform a counterattack when struck in the tail. They will spin around, using their tail to sweep at Link in a large arc at considerable speed. If a larger one is defeated, it will drop a Purple Rupee, worth 50 Rupees. There is one regular-sized Dodongo, though. Strangely enough, Dodongos will not attack unless they are fought in their own territory. If Goron Link rolls into them at the right angle he can push them out of the snowy portion of the field. The Dodongos will then attempt to make their way back to the snowy area of Termina Field. They will attack if Link hurts them, however.

If Link falls through a Hidden Hole in the snowy portion of Termina Field, he can fight two Dodongos at once, in very close quarters. The reward for this is a Piece of Heart, or, if the Heart Piece was received, a Recovery Heart will appear instead. The two defeated Dodongos drop Purple Rupees as usual.

Tatl's Note

“It moves slowly, so you can circle around to its backside. Got that?”

Dodongos appear as mini-bosses. They are tan in color and are significantly faster than other Dodongos in the series. As in other games, Dodongos can be defeated by throwing Bombs into their mouths while they inhale to breathe fire. After three Bombs have been thrown into a Dodongo, it explodes.

Unlike in other incarnations, Dodongos appear less dinosaur-like and more like fire-breathing geckos. They are found mainly in the Goron Mines. They have also gained the ability to walk on walls and ceilings, which is appropriate considering their new appearance.

Several sword swipes or arrows to their glowing red tails will eliminate them. However, Link can also shoot them in the mouth with an arrow to kill them instantly. One way to get to their tails is to wait until they attempt to shoot flames at Link, then sidestep and rush around to their back-end and attack their undefended tail. Similar to previous games, these Dodongos can also be defeated by feeding them a bomb (however this is slightly more difficult that in past games) or launching a Bomb Arrow at any part of their body. Bomblings are especially useful in killing Dodongos as it is easier to get a Dodongo to swallow one due to its speed and the fact it moves along the ground.